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What I’ve learned from six months of blogging

IT’S been a big six months!
When I first started this little spot on the internet, I had no idea how much I would love it.
While I put off starting this for months longer than I should have, I was really glad when I finally did.
It’s been a massive learning curve though! Here are some of the things I picked up on during the past six months.

It’s been a whirlwind ride!

Everything takes time:
From brainstorming ideas to writing posts, taking photos and putting posts together, blogging is a time-consuming process.
That doesn’t even take into account all the time you’ll spend on your blog’s Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin and Pinterest pages to promote your blog!
This is something I really didn’t expect when I started this blog. It’s a labour of love but it takes a while to put everything together!

You have to be organised:
It just won’t work if you aren’t.
I have to fit in a full-time job, about two and a half hours per day commuting, seeing friends and sleep. It can be done but it isn’t easy.
When I started writing this post I was on a plane, watching Captain America – you just learn to fit in blog activities with your schedule.
For example, I get my lovely family and friends to take outfit photos before events and I’ll take a range of photos in advance so they’re ready to use whenever I need them.

Other people are so inspiring:
There are so many people out there creating amazing content.
Whether they’ve been blogging for a few years or a few months, there are a lot of really cool people on the Internet!
Twitter and Bloglovin are the ways I use most to find new blogs. (Check out my Twitter feed here, I’m always retweeting awesome content from wicked bloggers I find!)

Don’t expect people to interact with your blog if you don’t do it with anyone else’s:
Your blog doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Unfortunately there are people out there that think just promoting their own content is enough – but interacting with others is an awesome part of the blogger community!
The best way to do this is read, read and read some more! And if you like what you’ve read, let the author know!
Joining a Twitter chat is also a great way to meet new people and bounce ideas off each other. Check out these great list of blog chats I found here and here– so useful!)
We’re all in this together!

Sponsored posts are a very fine line to tread:
While there are bloggers out there who can pull of doing a sponsored post (they’ve usually been doing it for a while and have a great reputation), it’s not for everyone.
I find it frustrating that so many new bloggers say yes to everything that gets sent to them.
Most of the time I have no idea if that’s what they actually think about a product or it’s what they want the company to read.
Building up a strong reputation first is important so people know they can trust you.

Some days you just don’t be feeling it:
Blog burnout is real.
There are times where you won’t want to even look at your computer screen, let alone create and promote posts. I went through a really stressful time last month (which helped me create this post about awesome ways to tackle stress)
On days like this, it’s OKAY to take a break, switch off for a day and do something you enjoy.
You’ll feel better in the long run and come back refreshed.

Have fun and do it because you love it:
There are a lot of people who give blogging a go and just don’t love it as much as others.
But for those who stick around, it’s because they absolutely love what they do.
It’s your little space on the Internet, do with it what you will!

I’m looking forward to another big six months!
I can’t thank you enough for reading this blog, whether you’ve been around from the start or whether this is your first visit.
Without you, this would be much more like shouting into the void and I love sharing my life and experiences in this way.

Do you have a blog? What have you learned? (Also, make sure to post a link to your blog so I can check it out!)

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12 thoughts on “What I’ve learned from six months of blogging”

Great post! It’s definitely so, so important to interact with other bloggers and not just spam people with links to your blog! I’ve learned a lot about being organized from blogging (since it’s not my natural tendency). I actually keep a color-coded calendar now! I can’t believe it!

I’ve been blogging for a little over four months now, and I totally agree with everything you mentioned.
I’ve learnt that socializing with other bloggers is mandatory the hard way – when I just started out, I hardly interacted with everyone. Cringe.

I’m new to the blogging community and still learning the ropes. This was so helpful. Best of luck to you and all your blogging adventures! You’re inspired me to become more active interacting with others as well as using social media more : )
Joanna
XOXO

Blog burnout is definitely real! I have struggled often lately with vlog burnout (second video syndrome: the struggle is real), so I found that taking charlieissocoollike’s advice and just chilling out and doing something/anything when you’re ready is just the best way. We’re only human, not everything is going to be perfect!
But you have a great blog Brianna! I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts in future!

I am a new blogger as well and I agree about how enjoyable it can be when you have ideas flowing but what I’ve learnt and still learning is to make those ideas into quality content which is not as easy as it looks on other blogs. I have been enjoying your blog lately. 🙂

Great advice, thank you! I began my blog as a way to document my treatment after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m now trying to transition from health to lifestyle and really appreciate advice posts like this. alittleearthquake.wordpress.com